Aneurin Donald to open for England in Cardiff after T20 debut in Southampton
Aneurin Donald will open the batting for England in Cardiff on Thursday in the Vitality T20 International Series, two days after making his England debut in the opening T20 against Sri Lanka in Southampton on Tuesday, 15 September. He scored 12 from five balls in that match as England completed a 119-run victory with Harry Brook unbeaten on 114 from 49 balls and Jos Buttler scoring 80.
The 29-year-old, whose 2015 double century for Glamorgan in Colwyn Bay equalled the fastest first-class 200 at the time, becomes the first man to represent England from Glamorgan since Simon Jones in 2005. Donald said: "Getting an international cap on Welsh soil would one of the most special moments in my career."
A product of Gorseinon cricket club, Donald had his family — parents Andrew and Jocelyn, brother Gafyn and partner Heather — present when he was presented with his first England cap before the opening match. He described Gorseinon as "such a special club" and added: "It would make all the cold, wet winter days in our little one indoor lane shed down there worth it. ... I am sure there'll be a few people coming up and my family have probably bought a stand! There would be a loud corner of people cheering for me."
Donald said the cap carried wider meaning: "I've got the opportunity to fly the flag for everyone that's put some time and energy into me, but not just that, the wider Welsh game. "It's an added responsibility but I'm determined to try and fly the flag." He also called the recent weeks "surreal" and admitted, "If you spoke to me a month ago, I'm not sure I would have had this on my radar. It has been been a whirlwind few weeks but a cool place to be."
His path to England included setbacks from serious knee injuries in 2019 and 2020, which he said made him fear the opportunity might have passed: "Without a doubt," he replied. "I thought this had maybe passed me by. ... Certainly with my couple of ACL injuries and a few tough years afterwards, an international cap would have been the furthest thing on my list, I was just trying to get back to playing professional sport and hoping my career was not over."
Donald’s recent domestic form earned his call-up: as Derbyshire captain this season he scored 489 runs in 12 matches in the Vitality Blast and hit 37 sixes, the most in the competition, while posting strike rates above 200 in both the Blast and the Hundred. He also scored 31 from eight balls for England Lions against Sri Lanka A at Chelmsford and finished the Hundred with strong contributions for Trent Rockets.
His performance in the Hundred final at Lord's — 38 off 19 balls in a display witnessed by England head coach Brendon McCullum — helped secure national attention, and Donald said: "I guess the final tick in the box is being able to get a few runs under pressure on a big stage, while having the England head coach there watching was the ideal setup. ... Hopefully I can play a brand he enjoys and wants to play with England." He played in the second half of the Trent Rockets campaign after coming in for the injured Tom Banton.
Following an injury to Phil Salt, Donald has been selected to open the England innings with Jos Buttler as his partner. On his role he said: "I have been given an opportunity to play a specific role and hopefully bring some wins for England. ... It's my job to break open games, get ahead of the rate and put on as much pressure as I can earlier, stretching the powerplay."
Donald added that he wants to make the most of the chance: "I want to show I can compete at this level, not just play a small role, but hopefully win games for England. ... I hope I'm going to get more opportunities after this but if this is all I get, it's about enjoying every moment." He will open alongside Buttler for England in Cardiff on Thursday.
